The Korossy Quartet is one of the youngest and most promising ensembles on the Hungarian chamber music scene, winning a national competition a year after its forming, and reaching the final of the Bartók World Competition. The current members of the string quartet are Csongor Korossy-Khayll, Éva Osztrosits, András Kurgyis and Gergely Devich, who have set themselves no less a goal than to pass on the world-famous Hungarian string quartet tradition.
The original members of the Korossy Quartet—Csongor Korossy-Khayll, Kristóf Tóth, Julianna Albert, Gergely Devich—started working together in 2018 in a music academy class under the direction of Péter Kováts, and it soon became clear that they wanted to continue working together. „Since then, there have been two changes of members, but our enthusiasm remains unchanged,” says Csongor Korossy-Khayll, the quartet’s leader.
In 2019, violinist and violist Éva Osztrosits joined the viola solo, and in the autumn of 2022—with the departure of Kristóf Tóth—violist András Kurgyis, who had been familiar with the members, joined the team. „I have followed their activities closely before, and I have played with all of them, including Éva in the Kruppa Quartet on a regular basis,” András told me. As a result of the change, Osztrosits now plays second violin, which is very comfortable and ideal for her.
The quartet’s current goal is to master the rich repertoire as much as possible, and they have no secret intention of carrying on the Hungarian string quartet tradition. They love to listen to recordings by great 20th century Hungarian ensembles such as the Végh or the Bartók Quartet.
„I am incredibly attracted by the pure, honest and wise musicality that characterises their playing,” says Csongor.
According to Osztrosits, the Takács Quartet or the Keller Quartet are also inspirational for them, and the consider the Ébéne Quartet the benchmark on the international scene. Devich also has a personal connection to the Hungarian chamber music tradition, as his grandfather János Devich was the cellist of the Kodály Quartet, from whom he was able to learn. In addition to the string quartets, Kurgyis also considers representatives of other genres to be an important source of inspiration, including the piano playing of András Schiff and Isabelle Faust, the singing of Natalie Dessay, and the recordings of Teodor Currentzis.
The group of young artists has already achieved great success in competition, winning the Weiner Leó National Chamber Music Competition a year after its formation, and in 2021 they were the only Hungarian entrants to reach the finals of the Bartók World Competition organised by the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. Their outstanding performances were rewarded with five special prizes, which allowed them to perform at this year’s Festival Academy Budapest and the Auer Festival in Veszprém, among others. „After the competition, we drew a lot of lessons together. For example, how to manage your strength in a multi-round race so that it lasts,” recalls Osztrosits about the competition.
The challenges continue this year, as the quartet has been accepted to the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid, where they will continue their studies with Günter Pichler, the legendary leader of the Alban Berg Quartet. They are preparing for the course weeks with a lot of effort, their main goal now is to get adjusted to one another, as the arrival of András Kurgyis has brought a completely different dynamic to the team. The basis of their working together is that chamber music is a great professional pleasure for all of them.
„Everyone approaches a given work from an individual perspective, but in order to create a common interpretation, we must necessarily seek compromises. I personally find it very liberating when we find a solution that we can all identify with. It’s like being in the audience myself, I can really enjoy the music, and the collective flow of emotions,” says Korossy-Khayll.
Kurgyis also points out that the chamber music repertoire is extremely rich and valuable, and the string quartet literature is particularly outstanding within it. „There are many brilliant works in this genre, and performing them is a great pleasure, but also a huge challenge,” he adds. Devich also enjoys the fact that during the rehearsal process they spend time not only with the pieces, but also with each other. „Chamber music prepares us for other areas of life: how to work harmoniously together, how to communicate well with each other, and also teaches us to trust and to be ready to compromise.”
For Osztrovits, string quartet playing is the essence of thinking together, experiencing and wanting to express different feelings, and reacting to the momentary impulses of the partners. „In addition to the professional challenges, it is also a human challenge: you have to be able to work harmoniously with your colleagues, to rely on each other with confidence and sometimes to give up your own will. Or just step back every now and then. Or, if necessary, to inspire. It’s a big game, full of fun and challenges.”
The quartet will soon be travelling abroad, giving concerts at the Hungarian Institute in Vienna and Paris, before heading to Madrid to work with Günter Pichler for the first time. They also owe a lot to their former teachers and mentors who laid the foundations for their approach to chamber music. Artists such as Péter Kováts, Márta Gulyás, Barnabás Kelemen, Katalin Kokas, András Keller, and Gábor Takács-Nagy helped them get started.
In addition to chamber music, all the members are open to other genres and tasks. Devich can imagine himself as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra member. He would like to develop as an individual and gain more experience in these areas. Osztrovits and Kurgyis would like to teach in the future, and former has a great desire to work with people. Kurgyis has recently been recruited to the Opera House Orchestra, where he will experience a very different, much more complex world of performance than his previous experience in symphony orchestras. And Korossy-Khayll sums up his main goal at the moment:
„I want to reach the highest possible level to be able to express what I want to express while playing without any obstacles.”